Nivea Takes Down Their "White Is Purity" Ad After Internet Backlash

Shortly after Pepsi retracted their controversial ad following backlash for referencing a famous photograph from a Black Lives Matter protest, Nivea retracted their "white is purity" ad, "finding itself accused of racial insensitivity over a campaign that seemed to be embraced by white supremacists," the New York Times reported.

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The ad — which includes a woman with long, dark hair underneath the caption, "Keep it clean, keep it bright. Don't let anything ruin it, #Invisible" — set out to advertise Nivea's new Invisible for Black & White deodorant, a product that promises to leave zero residue behind on your clothing. Instead, it set off a lot of people, rightfully so, with its additional tagline of "white is purity."

Nivea

Forty-eight hours after it was originally posted, Nivea decided to remove the ad on their Middle East Facebook page after it was being discussed on 4Chan with racist comments Monday, according to the New York Times, who also released the company's apology:

“We are deeply sorry to anyone who may take offense to this specific post,” the company said in a statement. “Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values of Nivea.”

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This isn't Nivea's first offense when it comes to racial insensitivity. "In 2011, the brand featured a well-dressed black male, clutching the Afro of a mannequin's head," said the New York Times. "The tagline, 'Re-civilize yourself.' Nivea apologized for the campaign, calling it 'inappropriate and offensive.'"

Nivea

After that particular incident, the brand released this statement indicating they would avoid the same mistakes in the future, the New York Times reported:

Current development and approval processes will be immediately reviewed in order to avoid any kind of future misleading interpretations.

Here's to hoping they revisit that past review and finally stick to their word moving forward.

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